Shooty Shooty Bang Bang: ‘Bulletstorm’ Now Available on Meta Quest

It’s been 12 years since Bulletstorm first launched its unique brand of hilarious ultraviolence. And today, Incuvo transports players back into the shoes of hot-headed space mercenary Grayson Hunt—literally—with the launch of the new VR version of the game on Meta Quest 2, 3, and Pro.

As an exiled member of the elite assassin group Dead Echo, blinded by a thirst for vengeance, Grayson gets stranded in the hostile world of Stygia, where he has to confront the former commander who betrayed him. And for the first time, you can play as legendary Trishka Novak, dual-wielding your new Energy Blade weapons to carve your way through mutated hordes in two brand-new levels exclusive to VR.

We sat down with Senior Producer Honorata Najda-Szajewska and Senior Programmer Piotr Bienkowski to chat about the process of bringing a beloved classic to a new generation of players.

Honorata Najda-Szajewska: Actually, Bulletstorm is the perfect game to port to VR because of how physical and action-packed it is. Bulletstorm VR retains the feel of the OG game, and we’ve added fun additions, like the option to dual-wield weapons, and players can play two new levels as Trishka Novak. But it’s still an over-the-top action shooter with a packed arsenal for players to show off their skills with—it’s just a lot more immersive, thanks to VR.

Piotr Bienkowski: Yeah, you don’t just see Grayson Hunt walking around Stygia, tossing enemies into traps with a leash—you feel it. Everything is much more interactive and dynamic.

PB: OK, so the energy leash will be familiar to players of the original Bulletstorm. But in Bulletstorm VR, using it is a physical action, not just a button press like in 2D. And VR makes buffs like Thumper mode for the leash extra fun to play. The feedback of slamming a huge impulse of energy at enemies with all these vibrations and sounds makes seeing your enemies fly up and enter slow-mo stasis super satisfying.

HNS: Weapon inventory is also more interactive. You have three body slots—on your right hip, left shoulder, and right shoulder—to store weapons and one on your left hip for ammunition. When you want to switch out your gear, you reach for the spot, press the grip button, and take out a stored weapon or ammo. You basically make the same movements you would in real life if you had actual weapons on you. When you reload a weapon, it’s the same idea—you can do it manually by performing the physical actions of inserting a magazine. If you want to throw back some Nom Juice, you make the same motions as you would with a can of soda.

PB: And if you want to punch an enemy in the face, you can do that with your actual fist! 😁

PB: We have the leash, kick, and slide mechanic that offer three fun ways of interacting with the environment. With VR, you can aim the energy leash with both your hand and your head—the crosshairs move with your head. You can kick an object or an enemy straight into a waiting trap with your legs. Or you could slide straight at something without any resistance and bung them wherever you want, but you could also use dash, which is unique to Bulletstorm VR and lets you teleport bash enemies.

HNS: The challenges mostly involved striking the right balance between immersion and player comfort. For example, early versions of Bulletstorm VR had super accurate reloads, but our user research tests found that a good number of players found hyper-realistic actions frustrating in such a fast-paced shooter. So the game now has three different ways to reload, from a simple button press to semi- and fully immersive physical actions, and players can choose which works best for them.

HNS: Absolutely. We wanted the game to be fun for everyone, no matter their setup, so we aimed at letting players choose the option that works best for them.

PB: That’s also why we added dash. The slide mechanic is lots of fun but could be too much for players who are sensitive to VR. Dash doesn't have any sudden movements and lets those players interact with the environment in a way that’s more comfortable for them.

HNS: Bulletstorm VR also has both seated and standing modes. In seated mode, the camera is placed higher than it normally would be because in standing mode the player can physically crouch and lower the camera. The body slots are also further away from the body, so the player can more easily reach them without colliding with any armrests their chair might have.

HNS: I love dual-wielding Trishka’s Energy Blades. You form a fist with your hands, and they’re released from Trishka’s wrists to immediately dismember anything in the way, and then they fly neatly back to you. They’re like boomerangs on crack!

PB: Two words: Sausage Party. It’s one of the trickier skillshots, but when you explode that hot dog cart just right, it’s magic.

Bulletstorm VR is now available on Quest 2, 3, and Pro for $39.99 USD.